The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-12-01

The fat old doctor met her half way
up his garden path.
"My brother!-my brother has been
bitten by" the rest was a whisper.
He heard her SO coolly and careless
ly, she thought. What was he made
of-stone? She thought she must
shrek out with pain and
evaporation when she saw him move
so slowly; she would burst q blood
vessel if he did not hurry. He was
net made OF stones but ofheavy, solid
flesh, iron nerves and phlegmatic feel
ings. What, though people were dy-
ing with rattlesnake poison, or cramp
collie, or what not; could he be ex-
pected to excite himself and rush
around till his fat person was bathed
in Precipitation! Que voulez-vous!
People must die and hearts must
break, and meanwhile the doctor
must take time to catch his breath.
Alberta urged, implored, but not
one fraction OF q second did he quick.
en- his step, she thought. He was inn
placable; he ought to be tortured.
At last they were in a bug
gy together, and the frantic girl seized
the reins and whipped the horse until
they flew along the dusty road at a
break-neck speed, and the phlegmatic
doctor was actually in fear of his life.
But all was in vain. The doctor
came too late; and after night OF
agony the unhappy, ill-starred Acton
died.
The lonesome, dreary time of sigh
ing winds and falling leaves-the South
ern wlnter-had come and gone, and
Alberta had seen no one bat Aunt
Dicey and the people on The planta-
ton. When sympathetic neighbors
called she sent word that she was too
unwell to see them. When Captain
Lawrence wrote to know if he might
come to her, she answered briefly
"No!" When old Miss Alkaline wrote
that she was coming the next week, a
telegram was sent in answer, forbid
ding her to come near. Castle Folly
was in mourning; it's pale, thin, tear
| less mistress wished to see no one.
Captain Lawrence had not written
the second time, but Miss Alkaline
wrote in wrathful rejoinder to Al
berta's telegram that she feared "the
family" had another subject for the
lunatic asylum on its hands. Soon
repenting OF this cruelty she wrote
again, and was this time abiectly az
fectionate, begging her unhappy grand
niece to come to her, and though Al
berta was equally tender in her reply,
she once more refused to quit Castle
Folly.
"Dis place gwine ter rack, honey"
said Aunt Dicey, dolefully, one day
late in the spring. "Need a man to
run dis place"
Alberta smiled indulgently. "Hav.
MT we got man to run it?" she ask.
ed, referring to the overseer.
"Dat ainh wat Italkin' bout honey.
l talkin' bout de Cap'n. Wuss de
reason 'e dohn come down yuh at
you?' .
because l told him to stay away"
"An' he ainh got spunk enough tel
come anyhow? Laws-a-mussy! ]
fought de Cap'n had mo- spunk'n dat.
81 thought so, too" murmured AL.
berta, when she thought the old nurse
was out OF hearing.
Her young mistress looked more and
more as if another world would soon
claim her, and becoming really alarm.
ed, Aunt Dicey one day made her
mind to take a bold step. She would
write to the captain. A lady on a
nelghboring plantation, whose friend
ship she had cultivated more carefully
than Alberta had done, acted as
amanuensis-irst having been bound
to solemn secrecy.
"Tel'im writin' it an Miss Alberta
dunner nut'n all bout it," Aunt Dicey
argued. "Tell i'm eff she'z ter know it
she ever las'ngly gle me wut Paddy gle
the drum"-laughing. ''Tell i'm Miss
Alberta mighty poly desc days an
look lax she wohn be wild us long; g
better come down yuh an tek'er way
from yuh vile got de chance. Tell i'm
Ell dohn wonter do it reck'n we wohn
fret-deh's a heap mo'uv 'em sides
him willin' an a-waitin'. Tell i'm
say ef e ainh got no mo- spunk'n ter
way DIES kase Miss Alberta tell i'm ter,
den dass all l wanter know bout i'm!
Tell i'm de woman spises man wut
ainh got de spunk; dey rudder see DC
mems show dey spunk an rule dc
roost den ter hab dey own way any
day"
Hardly more than a week after this
remarkable letter was posted, Alberta
received one from her aunt, old Mrs
Alkaline. 81 saw Herbert to-day" she
wrote, toward the close of her letter
"a change has come over him, it
strikes me. Prepare yourselffor start
ling news. He is going down to take
Castle Folly by storm-says he has
stood it as long as he can, and he in
tends to take you away from that
place and marry you whether you will
or no. hope you two won't fight"
During the past six months Alberta
had gone almost every day to put
fresh flowers on Actions grave, but to
day it pleased her to send Aunt Dicey
instead, busying herself the mean
while going through her wardrobe.
Aunt Dicey went and returned in 6
very short time the picture of terror
She had seen q rattlesnake in thu
burying ground near Acton's grave
and was at once filled with forbodings
OF fearful ill. No words could have
convinced her that she had seen any
other than the veritable Billy him
self.
"Oh, Miss Alberta, honey" sht
cried, when she had breathlessly tolc
her story, 1--WE got ter leave dis
place"
every well, we'll co." said Alberta
smiling. And going over to he1
table, she sat down and wrote:
Dear Aunt Alkaline: Tell Herbert h,
may come for me. Castle Folly surren
ders."
LOUIS PENDL EToN,